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Brown Rice and Two-Bean Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing

Years of being a vegetarian have taught me the basic essentials of a balanced meal: in rough proportion and description of value, a serving of legumes and whole grains for proteins, minerals and essential fatty acids, and a serving of fresh vegetables for vitamins and fiber, with a few good fats from whole dairy products or olive oil thrown in.

When time is in short supply, it is always nice to be able to combine these essentials into one dish. But flavour never needs to take a back seat to nutrition, ease or convenience, and summer and autumn weather trips down the aisles of fresh local produce always provide inspiration for cool and refreshing salads that can easily be considered complete meals in themselves. This Mexican-style brown rice, chickpea and black bean salad loaded with fresh green beans, pepper and corn and spiced up with a zesty chili and lime dressing is a perfect example of taste, wholesome eating and simplicity in one balanced meal.

Separately, rinse the chickpeas, black beans and brown rice under cold running water. Place in separate bowls and cover the chickpeas and black beans with several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Cover the brown rice with 2 cups of cold water. Let the chickpeas, black beans and brown rice soak overnight at room temperature.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and black beans separately. Add each to separate small saucepans and cover with several inches of fresh cold water. Bring each to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender — about 30 to 45 minutes for the black beans and about 1 to 1 1/2 hours for the chickpeas. Drain and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, bring the brown rice with its soaking liquid to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool.

Place the cooled chickpeas, black beans and brown rice in a large mixing bowl. Add the vegetables and coriander and gently combine. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the salad. Gently toss to mix.

I'm in the process of reading "The China Study" and seriously considering cutting all the meat out of my diet, so I'm very pleased to stumble upon your blog. Everything looks delicious!

Regarding this recipe - when you list "Chili powder" as an ingredient, do you use American style chili powder (i.e. a mixture of chilis and a bunch of other spices, and not really all that hot), or indian style chili powder (which I believe is usually just ground chilis and the stuff I have has a good kick to it)?

Based in London, Ontario, a veteran vegetarian for 22 years serves up a collection of delicious culinary creations from her kitchen, with an emphasis on spicy Indian dishes and whole foods. If you want to know what sensible vegetarians eat, Lisa's Kitchen is the place to be.